RPO schemes: What they are and why Bengals love them

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) eyes the defense in the first quarter of the NFL Preseason Week 2 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. At halftime the Bengals trailed 16-9.(Photo: Sam Greene)

One of the most popular NFL offensive trends involves the rise of the quick-hit, safe passing game. Completion percentages have never been higher. Interception rates never lower.

One of the primary examples is an offensive concept known as the Run-Pass Option, or RPO.

Basically, the running back and the offensive line will carry out a running play – most often out of the shotgun – while the receivers carry out a pass route on the edges. The quarterback has the option to read which spot the linebacker leans toward and pick whichever offers the numbers advantage.

The play is an extension of the running game and has little association with the traditional passing game.

It’s used widely in college, but the rules make it harder to execute in the NFL. The throw to the edge must come out immediately to avoid offensive linemen being flagged for illegal man downfield. Then it’s on the receiver to make a play on what’s often a horizontal pass.

If you watched an NFL game last year, you saw these. If you watched the Bengals, you saw them quite a bit.

Nobody gained more yards on RPOs last season than the Bengals, who racked up 444. None of Andy Dalton’s interceptions came out of the safe-pass concept.

As for why the Bengals run this so much and why it’s been so effective? Dalton offered a thought.

“One thing is, I like it,” he said.

Easy enough. As simple as the response, it brings up an important element of the play type. RPOs match the Bengals’ strengths. The quick delivery of Dalton, who has lived in the top three in fastest snap-to-pass timing the majority of his career, matches the scheme. His decision-making and fast release offer the characteristics required to run it.

“I just think it fits into my style of play,” Dalton said. “I like to get the ball out of my hands. The best thing a quarterback can do is throw a 1-yard pass and get 15 or 20 yards.”

Effectiveness multiplies this year with the addition of lightning-quick John Ross and running back Joe Mixon. Both were electric catching screens and RPOs in college.

The play goes beyond the quick, horizontal throw. If Dalton sees a safety or linebacker diving in to the run, he knows he can have single coverage on A.J. Green or Ross. That means one step and throwing the ball deep down the sideline for Green or the NFL’s fastest man to run under it.

“You are trusting your guys to win on the outside and you end up having one-on-ones a lot,” Dalton said.

RPOs open space for more than just the short passing game. The Bengals’ yards per carry grew from 3.9 without the option look to 4.6 with it, according to PFF. Running backs read the play coming out of the backfield along with Dalton and develop a feel for what to expect.

Either way, they finish out the running play just as if they received the ball. While sometimes they might wish the ball stayed in their stomach instead of pulled out, but they know when they do get the handoff, the numbers are in their favor.

“Our guys like them because there are a lot of openings there,” running backs coach Kyle Caskey said. “It spreads out the field a little bit. The defensive backs are having to go cover guys instead of come down in the box and take on blocks.”

Opponents entered games last year knowing they would see four or five of these a game, but the over-anticipation of the defense to one side often ends up making the difference for Dalton, who at times will decide whether to hand off or pass after the snap.

“They are thinking certain plays may be coming even though it is not,” Dalton said. “You will see a linebacker running away from the play when you are handing the ball off and they are running the opposite direction. You get numbers. It’s that game of ‘you can’t be right.’

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If Dalton is quick, little can go wrong. But with nobody pass-blocking on the play, if the quarterback is caught holding the ball, it can backfire in a hurry.

“Just like anything there are negatives to it,” quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor said. “We have had guys take hits because of it. Typically it isn’t as good protection for him when there is a blitz. It’s better on first down when they are expecting the run and playing base defense.”

Former Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson made the play noticeable, often opening games in an RPO with his offensive tackles split out wide in front of a receiver on the edge.

Coordinator Ken Zampese backed away from wide tackles for the most part last season, but he’s been leading the way in utilizing this latest offensive trend.

And as long as Dalton likes them and the club keeps adding skill players custom-fit to utilize them, don’t expect RPOs to go away any time soon at Paul Brown Stadium.

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